Chapter on the Recommended Prayers
Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām|Volume 3|Book 2|Chapter 9
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ اَلْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ اَلْحَسَنِ بْنِ اَلْجَهْمِ عَنْ أَبِي عَلِيٍّ عَنِ اَلْيَسَعِ اَلْقُمِّيِّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ أُرِيدُ اَلشَّيْءَ فَأَسْتَخِيرُ اَللَّهَ فِيهِ فَلاَ يُوفَقُ فِيهِ اَلرَّأْيُ أَفْعَلُهُ أَوْ أَدَعُهُ فَقَالَ« اُنْظُرْ إِذَا قُمْتَ إِلَى اَلصَّلاَةِ فَإِنَّ اَلشَّيْطَانَ أَبْعَدُ مَا يَكُونُ مِنَ اَلْإِنْسَانِ إِذَا قَامَ إِلَى اَلصَّلاَةِ فَانْظُرْ إِلَى شَيْءٍ يَقَعُ فِي قَلْبِكَ فَخُذْ بِهِ وَ اِفْتَحِ اَلْمُصْحَفَ فَانْظُرْ إِلَى أَوَّلِ مَا تَرَى فِيهِ فَخُذْ بِهِ إِنْ شَاءَ اَللَّهُ تَعَالَى»
Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Mahbub from Ahmad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Faddal from his father from al-Hasan ibn al-Jahm from Abu Ali from al-Yasa‘ al-Qummi who said:
I said to Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him: “I desire something and I seek guidance from Allah سبحانه وتعالى (perform istikhara) about it, but no clarity comes to mind regarding it, should I do it or leave it?” Imam عليه السلام said: “Observe when you stand for prayer, for Satan is furthest from the human being when he stands for prayer. So observe what settles in your heart, and act upon it. And open the Mushaf and look at the first thing you see in it act upon it, if Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Exalted, wills.”
- Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām fī Sharḥ al-Muqniʿah, vol. 3, p. 342
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tahdhīb